Apollo Medicine is the official, peer-reviewed publication of Indraprastha Apollo Hospital and has been conceptualized with the idea of providing a platform for researchers as well as clinicians ever since its inception in September 2004. The Journal is published quarterly (March, June, September & December) by Elsevier, a division of Reed-Elsevier (India) Private Limited and is circulated to all major medical institutions in India and subscribers.

The journal accepts original articles on clinical or laboratory research, review articles, case reports, letter to the editor, article related to quality in the health care, journal scan, interesting videos, Debates, Commissioned Articles, Ethics, Medico Legal Cases, Govt National programmes, Proceedings of the Clinical Meeting, Protocols and Clinical Guidelines and interesting case images. Apollo Medicine aims at publishing articles with a special focus on public health in developing countries, which will highlight the common health problems of the region and their possible solutions. We propose to stimulate medical research and support evidence based medical practice in India and our neighboring countries.

Contact details for submissionIf assistance is required by the authors, please refer to the tutorials for authors and/or customer support that are available on the EES website; you may also contact the Editorial Office. Please do not post, fax or e-mail your manuscripts to the Editorial Office.

You can use this list to carry out a final check of your submission before you send it to the journal for review. Please check the relevant section in this Guide for Authors for more details.

Ensure that the following items are present:

One author has been designated as the corresponding author with contact details:• E-mail address• Full postal address

All necessary files have been uploaded:Manuscript:• Include keywords• All figures (include relevant captions)• All tables (including titles, description, footnotes)• Ensure all figure and table citations in the text match the files provided• Indicate clearly if color should be used for any figures in printGraphical Abstracts / Highlights files (where applicable)Supplemental files (where applicable)

Further considerations• Manuscript has been 'spell checked' and 'grammar checked'• All references mentioned in the Reference List are cited in the text, and vice versa• Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Internet)• Relevant declarations of interest have been made• Journal policies detailed in this guide have been reviewed• Referee suggestions and contact details provided, based on journal requirements

All animal experiments should comply with the ARRIVE guidelines and should be carried out in accordance with the U.K. Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986 and associated guidelines, EU Directive 2010/63/EU for animal experiments, or the National Institutes of Health guide for the care and use of Laboratory animals (NIH Publications No. 8023, revised 1978) and the authors should clearly indicate in the manuscript that such guidelines have been followed.

Declaration of interest

All authors are requested to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest including any financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations within three years of beginning the submitted work that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, their work. More information.

Submission declaration

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis or as an electronic preprint, see 'Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication' section of our ethics policy for more information), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere including electronically in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Submission declaration and verification

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis or as an electronic preprint, see 'Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication' section of our ethics policy for more information), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder. To verify originality, your article may be checked by the originality detection service CrossCheck.

Authorship

All authors should have made substantial contributions to all of the following: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, (3) final approval of the version to be submitted.

Changes to authorship

Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed.Only in exceptional circumstances will the Editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of authors after the manuscript has been accepted. While the Editor considers the request, publication of the manuscript will be suspended. If the manuscript has already been published in an online issue, any requests approved by the Editor will result in a corrigendum.

Reporting clinical trialsRandomized controlled trials should be presented according to the CONSORT guidelines. At manuscript submission, authors must provide the CONSORT checklist accompanied by a flow diagram that illustrates the progress of patients through the trial, including recruitment, enrollment, randomization, withdrawal and completion, and a detailed description of the randomization procedure. The CONSORT checklist and template flow diagram are available online.

Copyright

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see more information on this). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.

Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution and for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases.

For open access articles: Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete an 'Exclusive License Agreement' (more information). Permitted third party reuse of open access articles is determined by the author's choice of user license.

Author rightsAs an author you (or your employer or institution) have certain rights to reuse your work. More information.

Elsevier supports responsible sharingFind out how you can share your research published in Elsevier journals.

Role of the funding source

You are requested to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such involvement then this should be stated.

Funding body agreements and policiesElsevier has established a number of agreements with funding bodies which allow authors to comply with their funder's open access policies. Some funding bodies will reimburse the author for the Open Access Publication Fee. Details of existing agreements are available online.The open access fee for this journal is $ 3000, excluding taxes. Learn more about Elsevier's pricing policy.

Green open accessAuthors can share their research in a variety of different ways and Elsevier has a number of green open access options available. We recommend authors see our green open access page for further information. Authors can also self-archive their manuscripts immediately and enable public access from their institution's repository after an embargo period. This is the version that has been accepted for publication and which typically includes author-incorporated changes suggested during submission, peer review and in editor-author communications. Embargo period: For subscription articles, an appropriate amount of time is needed for journals to deliver value to subscribing customers before an article becomes freely available to the public. This is the embargo period and it begins from the date the article is formally published online in its final and fully citable form. Find out more.This journal has an embargo period of 12 months.

Language (usage and editing services)Please write your text in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Authors who feel their English language manuscript may require editing to eliminate possible grammatical or spelling errors and to conform to correct scientific English may wish to use the English Language Editing service available from Elsevier's WebShop.

Informed consent and patient details

Studies on patients or volunteers require ethics committee approval and informed consent, which should be documented in the paper. Appropriate consents, permissions and releases must be obtained where an author wishes to include case details or other personal information or images of patients and any other individuals in an Elsevier publication. Written consents must be retained by the author and copies of the consents or evidence that such consents have been obtained must be provided to Elsevier on request. For more information, please review the Elsevier Policy on the Use of Images or Personal Information of Patients or other Individuals. Unless you have written permission from the patient (or, where applicable, the next of kin), the personal details of any patient included in any part of the article and in any supplementary materials (including all illustrations and videos) must be removed before submission.

Submission

Our online submission system guides you stepwise through the process of entering your article details and uploading your files. The system converts your article files to a single PDF file used in the peer-review process. Editable files (e.g., Word, LaTeX) are required to typeset your article for final publication. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revision, is sent by e-mail.

Submission of Manuscripts

The Journal accepts online submissions in electronic format. All new manuscripts must be submitted through Apollo Medicine online and review Website (http://ees.elsevier.com/apme). Authors are requested to submit the text, tables, and figures in electronic form to this address.

Please follow the following steps to submit your manuscript:

Open the homepage of the Journal’s website http://ees.elsevier.com/apmeRegister yourself for free by clicking on ‘Register’ on the top and create a user profile with a desired username and mandatory details. On submission of the information, you will receive an E-mail confirming your registration along with the password.Click ‘Log in’ on the main navigation menu at the top of the journal screen to open the login page.Enter your username and password in the appropriate fi elds (e-mailed to you at the time of egistration).Click ‘Author Log in’, this takes you to the ‘Author Main Menu’.

Main Menu

Note: Please note that the username and password combination required for Elsevier Editorial System (EES) is different from your username and password combination used to ‘Track your paper’ on the Elsevier ‘Authors’ Home’ website. By submitting a manuscript online, the author agrees to the following:• The work is original and free from plagiarism.• It has not been submitted for publication/is not under consideration for publication by another Journal.• All authors are aware of the order of authorship. The submitting author shall be solely responsible in case disputes arise.• Once published, copyright of manuscript shall stand transferred to the Journal.• ‘CONFLICT OF INTEREST’ if any, must be explicitly stated at the end of the manuscript.

Type the manuscript (using ‘Times New Roman’ font, size 10) in single space throughout. Please arrange the manuscript as follows: Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Method, Results, Discussion, and References. Number all pages consecutively, beginning with the title page. Figures and Tables must be referred to in the manuscript. Consult a recent issue of the Journal for details. Only the Title page should bear the names and complete addresses of the author(s). Editorials and review articles are accepted generally by invitation. Note: The authors should submit the contributors/ copyright form with signatures of all the contributors within 2 weeks of submission.

Length of articles (including abstract)

In general, the length of original articles should be between 2000 and 4000 words and not more than 1000 words for case reports unless the topic demands more explanation (in which case word limit can be eased which is subject to the discretion of the editor). Other short submissions (e.g., innovative techniques, communications) need not have an abstract or all the headings of a full article and be limited to about 500 words in length. These may have a short introduction, case description followed by discussion. Please keep the number of illustration and references to minimum for such short submissions. Letters discussing or criticizing material published recently in the Journal, brief presentations of data, or those pertaining to issues of relevance to health policy,practice of medicine, or the like, are welcome. These should not exceed 500 words, 1 table, and 5 references.

Peer review

This journal operates a double blind review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor's decision is final. More information on types of peer review.

Essential title page information

• Title. Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.• Author names and affiliations. Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author and check that all names are accurately spelled. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.• Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. Ensure that the e-mail address is given and that contact details are kept up to date by the corresponding author.• Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes.In animal studies, the title should state the species; all other titles will refer to human studies. State names of authors (including fi rst names), the departments, and the institution where the work was done. The Journal reserves the right to ask for the contribution of each author to an article. A short, running title, not exceeding 40 characters, should be provided. Please provide the name, postal address with PIN code, facsimile number and E-mail address of the author to whom communications and proofs are to be sent. Acknowledgements, if any, may be mentioned on this page.

Abstract

The abstract should summarize the most important points in the study. Original articles should include a structured abstract of about 250 words under the following headings: Background/Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions (see Ann Intern Med 1990;113:69–76). For case reports, a non structured abstract should be provided with not more than 100 words. References should not be included in abstracts. Less than 10 keywords, not present in the title, to assist indexing, should be typed in alphabetical order below the Abstract; these may be obtained from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) database of ‘Pubmed’.

Keywords

Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 5 keywords, using American spelling and avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes.

Formatting of funding sourcesList funding sources in this standard way to facilitate compliance to funder's requirements:

Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant numbers xxxx, yyyy]; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [grant number zzzz]; and the United States Institutes of Peace [grant number aaaa].

It is not necessary to include detailed descriptions on the program or type of grants and awards. When funding is from a block grant or other resources available to a university, college, or other research institution, submit the name of the institute or organization that provided the funding.

If no funding has been provided for the research, please include the following sentence:

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Units

All measurements must be in metric units, preferably with corresponding SI units in parentheses.

ArtworkIllustrations should be clear enough and of appropriate size (5 inch × 7 inch or larger) for better reproduction. If illustrations are scanned, then they should be scanned at minimum of 300 dpi. Color images must be CMYK. Line art drawing must have a minimum resolution of 1200 dpi. Photographs may be submitted as ‘.jpeg’, or ‘.tiff’ fi les in a zipped folder. In clinical photographs, identity of the subjects should be suitably masked; in case this is not possible, a written permission from the concerned person should accompany the manuscript. Permission to reproduce any borrowed illustration must be obtained from the author and the publisher.

Color artworkPlease make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF (or JPEG), EPS (or PDF) or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable color figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in color online (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) in addition to color reproduction in print. Further information on the preparation of electronic artwork.

Legends to Figures

The Figure number (numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals), title and explanations of the Figures should appear in the legend (not on the Figure). Type the legends on a separate page. Enough information should be included in the legend to interpret the Figure without reference to the text.

Tables

Each table should be typed on a separate page and numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Necessary explanatory notes, if any, may be given below the Table.

References

Number the references in the order in which they fi rst appear in the text and identify the reference numbers in the text in superscript. References may be placed at the end of the manuscript. Publications as abstract and letters should be so identified in parentheses. The responsibility for accuracy of references lies with the respective authors. The Journal is in agreement with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (www.icmje.org). The general arrangement, abbreviations of Journal names and punctuations followed are as per the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals (www.icmje.org). Please pay attention to the style of references and punctuations as follows:

Journal ArticleList all authors when six or less as shown in the example below:

Data referencesThis journal encourages you to cite underlying or relevant datasets in your manuscript by citing them in your text and including a data reference in your Reference List. Data references should include the following elements: author name(s), dataset title, data repository, version (where available), year, and global persistent identifier. Add [dataset] immediately before the reference so we can properly identify it as a data reference. The [dataset] identifier will not appear in your published article.

Rare Case Pictures

The title of the case that will be discussed in the section “Rare Case Pictures” should be specifi ed. The word limit for summarizing the importance of the image(s) should not exceed 250 words. It is mandatory to mention 2 or 3 learning points. Please limit references to a maximum of 3. Figures/video captions can be uploaded separately.

Image Quiz

This section will be available as online image quiz where a brief case report or description will have to be uploaded along with a multiple choice question and a list of possible answers (please limit the answers to a maximum of 6). The correct answer will be displayed with a brief explanation (the answer will also be linked with the published case). The word limit for the description is 250 words, up to 3 references.

Acknowledgements

These should appear at the end of the manuscript. The source of funding as well as a disclosure statement mentioning confl ict of interest, if any, should appear under this heading.

Editorial process

All articles submitted to the Journal undergo initial review by the Editor/associate editor and articles that are outside the scope of Journal or are not in the journal format are excluded. Later each article is reviewed by at least two reviewers. The time to first decision is usually less than 6 weeks. As per the policy of the Journal, an Editor, who is either author of a manuscript or belongs to the same institution as any of the authors, is not assigned that manuscript and is not involved in decision-making regarding its publication.Reviewers/Editorial Board members should decline the invitation to review a manuscript which is submitted by authors from their institution.

Online proof correction

Corresponding authors will receive an e-mail with a link to our online proofing system, allowing annotation and correction of proofs online. The environment is similar to MS Word: in addition to editing text, you can also comment on figures/tables and answer questions from the Copy Editor. Web-based proofing provides a faster and less error-prone process by allowing you to directly type your corrections, eliminating the potential introduction of errors.If preferred, you can still choose to annotate and upload your edits on the PDF version. All instructions for proofing will be given in the e-mail we send to authors, including alternative methods to the online version and PDF.We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. It is important to ensure that all corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.

Correspondence

We welcome letters to the Editor subject to selection and editing; where appropriate, the authors of the original article will be invited to reply. The letter should be double-spaced throughout, signed by all authors, and fully referenced. The edited version will be returned for approval before publication.